Ink Burns

Chapter 101: Is there anyone else?

"The ghost messenger of Fengdu, cut off from human beings by heaven, the six clans are broken, unfraternal and unjust" -

These sixteen short words determined his life while he was still in his infancy.

Twelve-year-old Xue Xiao hid on the beam of the Taoist temple, holding back and clenching his fists;
The 24-year-old Xue Xiao raised a sneer on his thin lips, and asked with the expectation of the other party's explanation: "Six tribes? Which six tribes?"

You expect it, but you don't give the other party time to respond.

Xue Xiao placed the wooden carved thin-blade tea knife on the square tea table and counted with interest: "Mother clan? They are dead."

"The wife's family is still unknown."

"My dear teacher, he has also been exiled."

"Who else?"

"Father's clan?"

Xue Xiao's sneer revealed a bit of regret: "What a pity, my father's family is still here."

He is no longer a twelve-year-old boy.

Time pushed him to climb the ladder to touch the clouds, moving upward step by step.

The young man on the beam remained silent because he still cared.

When you don't care about anything, no one can hurt you at all, either physically or mentally.

Xue Xiao's tone was low, with a heavy smile lingering in it: "If Master Li Zhen were still alive, I would kneel down three times and kowtow nine times to ask him to calculate when my father's family would die out."

"Snapped--"

Xue Changfeng was enraged!
He slapped the wooden table hard, but his face turned red, his eyes were red, his throat was blocked, and he didn't know what to say for a moment!
He has always been known in the court as a "modest gentleman, moderate and kind."

During the previous emperor's reign, if it weren't for this praise, he would not have been given the position of Prince Grand Tutor.

Such a good character as moderation and kindness cannot win any favor in front of this brat!

Everyone in the court called this guy a "mad dog".

How can a gentleman and a mad dog ever stop fighting?
Xue Changfeng's chest was burning with fire, but he could find a hint of meaning in his rage: "Master Li Zhen is still alive? - Master Li Zhen is in trouble?"

Zhu was sitting on the Eight Immortals Stool with her head lowered, twisting an almond. After every sentence, she would gently nibble on one tenth of it and chew it slowly.

Now, after hearing what Xue Xiao said, he finally couldn't sit still anymore.

Zhu clenched the almond in her palm, raised her eyebrows and glanced at her stepson quickly.

"Before the New Year?" Xue Xiao sat down casually, pried open the scabbard of the tea knife with one hand, and flicked the blunt blade with his fingertips: "Master Li Zhen embezzled the money from the incense offerings of the Baochan Temple, and was reported to the Monk Records Office by his disciples. Because of the Imperial Temple, the Saint transferred the case to the Censorate, and I personally tried it--"

Zhu lowered her eyes, her eyes filled with unspeakable silence.

"The old monk couldn't stand the torture and confessed in the first round, and confessed all the properties he had acquired outside the temple. The people from the outside world were impure, begging for money with their hands and children with their crotch. Not only was he greedy for money, he even had three sons."

Xue Xiao casually glanced at Zhu's face. Under his dark eyebrows and eyelashes, his eyes were like rice fields blown by the evening breeze, revealing a dark brown watery light in the afterglow of the setting sun: "It wasn't a big deal. I expected to exile him after the New Year. Who knew that the next day, the old monk would--"

Xue Xiao held the tea knife in one hand, with his slender index finger lightly placed on the blade.

I saw the tip of his tongue touch the upper palate, his lower jaw slightly raised, and he made a light and arrogant sound: "Tsk——"

"He bit his tongue and committed suicide."

Xue Xiao laughed softly and said, "Buddhism says that greed, jealousy and slander are the main causes of death. Perhaps he committed too many sins with his mouth, so the Buddha taught him to die this way."

Xue Changfeng's right hand trembled, and in a rage, he pointed at Xue Xiao and said, "You, you, you are just seeking revenge for him making a statement about you!"

"Master Li Zhen has always been kind and compassionate. He often comprehends Buddhist scriptures, cultivates himself, explains fate, determines cause and effect, and establishes good relationships. Even the late emperor is willing to trust him! How could such a great monk commit all the sins you mentioned!?"

Xue Changfeng was heartbroken: "The rebellious son is arrogant, seeking revenge for personal gain, and deceiving the emperor! When the emperor wakes up, how long do you think you can wear the red and purple official robe in peace? "

Xue Xiao sneered and ignored his biological father. Instead, he suddenly turned to look at Zhu: "Madam Zhu, tell me, is the cause and effect judgment made by Master Li Zhen accurate?"

Xue Changfeng immediately scolded him, "Why are you bothering your mother again? What does our conversation have to do with her?"

Xue Xiao only stared at Zhu.

The contraction of the dark brown pupils meant that the focus was quickly focused, just like a mad dog, staring hungrily, ready to swoop forward and bite desperately at any time.

Zhu placed the remaining almonds on a small gilded plate. Her eyebrows and eyes were as still as a mountain. She raised her eyes gently, and the corners of her lips curled up with a smile: "I don't know anything about fate and cause and effect. I usually just plant flowers and weeds. These simple and leisurely days do not require me to worship the Buddha, nor do I need to pray to the Three Pure Ones-"

Zhu turned around and fiddled with Xue Changfeng's sleeves, saying calmly, "Alright, alright. Every time we meet, father and son quarrel like enemies from previous lives. A happy event has been disrupted."

After being comforted, Xue Changfeng reluctantly took the lead in looking away from the confrontation.

Zhu said to Xue Changfeng: "Today, you should have been wrong in the first place."

After a pause, he said, "Brother Xiao is busy with his work. It's rare for him to come back to his hometown in Zhenjiang. This is his home. What does it matter if he knocks on the door or not? You have to take the opportunity to cause trouble and make a big deal out of a small matter."

Zhu only blamed Xue Changfeng and turned to look at Xue Xiao. There was no deliberate attempt to be friendly on her gentle and kind face, only official politeness.

Coincidentally, this is the best attitude for a stepmother.

Being too close is both hypocritical and annoying. "Your father accidentally learned that you were working on a case with Qiu Huaibi in Jinling Prefecture, so he called you back. Don't worry, unless it's a major matter, he won't delay your work."

Zhu's gentle words calmed down the fierce quarrel.

Xue Xiao's expression did not change, he just looked at her quietly.

Zhu leaned forward and took out a few pieces of paper from the secret box on the wooden table, and pushed them in front of Xue Xiao: "I have recently met a girl from the Liu family in Songjiang Prefecture, the eldest daughter of the eldest wife of the cousin of the former prefect of Songjiang Prefecture."

"Prince Kangning once asked you why you didn't get married. Didn't you say you were looking for a girl who was good at painting?"

Xue Xiao then remembered.

That was three years ago, right?
He had just reported his mentor in the imperial examination and was released from the Inspectorate, where he saw the light of day again. The new emperor then appointed him as a second-class candidate.

At that time, the Princess of Kangning County had not yet passed away, and it was said that she had a very good private relationship with his late mother who had passed away early.

During a spring banquet, Prince Kangning asked him while he was drunk if he had someone he liked.
To the upper left of Prince Kangning, the little girl with double buns, rosy cheeks and fair hair was staring at him motionlessly with bright eyes.

His eyes swept across the painting of "Ink Bamboo after Rain" behind Prince Corning.

The former emperor was fond of painting, and had some achievements in both ink and brushwork. Among the literati, there were many who were fond of calligraphy and painting and who devoted themselves to painting.

He answered immediately, "I don't have any right now. But I would like to discuss with someone who is good at calligraphy and painting, and have a long chat by candlelight."

The little princess with rosy cheeks suddenly looked dim.

Everyone knows that Princess Yuehe of Prince Kangning's Mansion is lazy and does not know how to grow crops. She relies on the love and favor of everyone and enjoys a life of luxury.

The art of painting is not acquired in a day. Without hard work like water dripping through a stone and iron rod being turned into a needle, success cannot be achieved easily.

He answered casually, hoping to quickly extinguish the girl's wandering fantasies and get away with it safely.

Who would have known that the arrow shot three years ago would pierce through the passage of time and hit right in the middle of the eyebrows at this moment.

Xue Xiao crossed his arms across his chest, still staring at Zhu with a cold gaze.

As if waiting for her to reveal her shortcomings.

"This Miss Liu's paintings are quite famous in Songjiang Prefecture, and she herself is also very talented. A few months ago, Mr. Mi went to Jiangnan to collect folk songs and praised her highly."

Zhu was not afraid of Xue Xiao's gaze, but faced the challenge head-on: "You, you know how difficult it is to get married in the capital. If it was easy, you would have been married long ago, why would it be delayed until now?"

Zhu deliberately avoided words like "deceased mother" and "extinct six clans" etc.

Xue Changfeng naturally noticed it, and felt that his wife was kind and virtuous, so he immediately said, "Your mother has been looking for you for many years, and has also seen many people! Although you are disrespectful and unfilial, your mother always cares about you!"

Xue Xiao still had his arms folded across his chest with an expressionless face.

Zhu smiled and denied Xue Changfeng's statement: "It's not that I miss him, there is always a layer of distance between us. I never expect Xiao Ge'er to treat me like a mother. But Chen Ge'er is about to come of age. If my eldest brother doesn't get married, how can he start a family and build a career?"

These words were candid and pertinent. Xue Changfeng felt that his wife was frank, truthful, kind and polite.

Zhu pushed over three or four pieces of letter paper.

Xue Xiao put down his hand and pulled out one of the cards with his index finger.

It's a portrait.

Xue Xiao was finally relieved.

It was the one he painted.

That day, he disguised himself as a painter and sneaked into Liu Mansion by accident, where he met He Shanyue.

The girl always wore a veil, with only a pair of eyes and a small part of her nose exposed.

The eyelids of that pair of eyes were thin and white, with faint black hair winding between the eyelids. The corners of the eyes were slightly raised, and the gaze was sharp and clear.

Like a peony flower drawn with a few light strokes, the two or three messy hairs at the temples are the stamens blowing in the wind.

With just a few strokes, he filled in the imaginary nose and mouth beneath the veil.

There is only expression, no form.

It was not until he saw He Shanyue again in Liu's residence, facing each other in the cramped wooden cabinet, forced to get close, with his facial features magnified, that he realized that his few simple strokes of sketch were extremely wrong - He Shanyue had a very beautiful profile, a tall and straight nose, and thin lips like her eyelids, with a bit of stubbornness and coldness. Of course, this was ignoring the bright red color of her lips.

Not the light peony.

Rather, it is a detailed painting with rich colors but lack of interest.

Xue Xiao's eyes fell on the portrait and stayed there for a long time.

Zhu suppressed her smile and spoke in time: "I have seen her, just a few days ago. This portrait doesn't depict half of Miss Liu's beauty. If you agree, after the New Year, your father and I will go to the Liu family to propose marriage. If it is possible, I will arrange for you to meet from a distance-"

Before Zhu finished speaking, she heard Xue Xiao's low voice.

"You looked at so many people? And you only chose this one?"

Xue Xiao finally lowered his arms from his chest and casually flipped through the portraits and documents on the table, his words deliberately making things difficult: "What about the others? Are they not as good as her? Or does Madam Zhu like her the most?"

(End of this chapter)